The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, August 3, 2003, Chandigarh, India

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PM willing to hike pulses’ support price
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 2
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today promised more steps for the welfare of farmers and expressed his willingness to announce a one-and-a-half times increase in support prices of pulses and oilseeds provided farmers gave a boost to production to make the country self-reliant.

The welfare of farmers had always remained on top of the government agenda and the NDA government was committed to taking more steps for the welfare of farmers, Mr Vajpayee said addressing a function organised by the BJP’s Kisan Morcha to felicitate him for lowering the interest rate on crop loans and loans for the purchase of farm equipment.

Complimenting the farmers for helping the country export Rs 6,000 crore of foodgrain, the Prime Minister said the time had come for farmers to make experiments for boosting production of pulses and oilseeds.

Expressing concern at the loss of precious foreign exchange in the import of edible oils, Mr Vajpayee said only things which could not be produced in the country should be imported.

He stressed the need for farmers to change the pattern of cultivation to raise the per hectare output and to turn to food processing to ensure maximum return to their produce.

Advocating the need for a movement to promote rainwater harvesting, Mr Vajpayee made a strong plea to farmers to focus on value addition.

Stating that 25 per cent of farm produce had been rotting for lack of proper storage, the Prime Minister regretted that plans for effective storage were not implemented well.

He said the “Gram Sadak Yojna” would help farmers to speedily take their produce to markets at home and abroad.

Several Union ministers, including Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh and Food Minister Sharad Yadav, BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu and other leaders were present at the function.

Hailing the Vajpayee government for taking many farmer-friendly initiatives, Mr Naidu wanted the Centre to either set up a task force or convene a meeting of Chief Ministers for extending the scope of the crop insurance scheme, which was now limited to a few crops.

Meanwhile, even as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was being felicitated by the BJP’s Kisan Morcha for lowering interest on crop loans and purchase of farm equipment, a large number of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambawta) activists today courted arrest here demanding interest-free loans for farmers.

The activists, led by BKU (Ambawta) president Rishipal Ambawta, marched from Jantar Mantar shouting slogans in favour of their demand and courted arrest at Parliament Street police station. They were later released.

In a memorandum to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the BKU also demanded that farmers holding less than five acres be given electricity and water free of cost.

It also demanded subsidy on fertiliser and seeds and extension of loan to farmers for purchase of tractors without mortgage of their land.